Meryl Streep believed her acting career would end when she turned 40 — ‘I thought each movie would be my last’

Meryl Streep, one of the most critically-acclaimed actors in Hollywood, once feared for her career (John Locher/AP)

Meryl Streep has proven to be timeless.

With literally dozens of iconic films, awards and honors, Hollywood's main leading lady has carved out a space for herself in the world of entertainment that will endure long after she stops making movies.

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In spite of that though, the 67-year-old superstar told the Wall Street Journal, she feared her age would be the end of her career.

"I remember as I was hovering around 40, I thought each movie would be my last, really," Streep said. "And all the evidence of the 40-year-old women at that time — this was 27 years ago — would lead you to believe it was over."

Meryl Streep nabbed the first of three Oscars for her work in the 1980 film "Kramer vs. Kramer." (Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)

But her career was far from it.

In the years that have come and gone since the actress turned 40, she's gotten 11 Oscar nods and a gold statuette to take home for her role as Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady."

The Many Faces of Meryl Streep

Streep is currently starring in "Florence Foster Jenkins," a film about a quirky socialite who took her zany personality and questionable singing abilities to Carnegie hall in 1944.

"On a certain level you don't have any choice — you're unhappy if you're not doing it, so you're compelled in a certain way," Streep said on remaining in the entertainment industry for decades. "And if you're lucky you can keep working. But everybody has troughs and dismal times — every single person."